After The Olympics
10/19/2000 12:00:00 PM | General
DAYTON -- What do you do after the Olympics? For some it's endorsements or start preparing for 2004 or even some rest. That's not the case for two individuals with the Wright State University swimming team. For them, it's back to work.
Sion Brinn, starting his first season as an assistant coach at WSU, knows about the post-Olympic time since he participated in the last two games. His 400 IM relay team placed eighth in the finals. The only difference is that this time, he'll have to look at swimming from another side as a coach.
"It will be different this time around but I'm excited about the chance to share what I've experienced with the Wright State swimmers," Brinn, who swam in 1996 for Jamaica and this year for England, said. "I can't wait to teach and learn myself from head coach Matt Liddy. What he has done here is tremendous and he has a great reputation around the nation as well."
Liddy, entering his 12th season as the Raiders' head coach, has built a dynasty of his own at Wright State. His resume includes numerous Coach of the Year Awards, student-athletes in the NCAA Championships, and now one in the Olympics, over 150 dual meet wins and nine conference titles.
Leonard Ngoma, a sophomore from Zambia became the first active WSU student-athlete to qualify for the Olympics when he represented his home country last month in Australia. He placed third in his preliminary heat but did not qualify for the finals. That didn't dampen his enthusiasm though as he hopes to share his experiences as well with his teammates.
"I still find myself daydreaming about the time I spent in Australia. It fulfilled my dreams I had as a child when I watched the games on TV in Zambia," Ngoma said. "Now it's onto other dreams and helping my team fulfill its potential. I'll do whatever Coach Liddy and Brinn ask me to do. It has been a full year."
Even Liddy finds himself in awe of his assistant and his pupil and what they have been able to accomplish.
"Sion and Leonard have done things I only can dream about doing. It doesn't matter who won what except that they were there. Who else can say that," Liddy, who led both Raider squads to second place MCC finishes last year, said. "Now though, it's time to get down and work. We have some tough meets ahead and none tougher than Friday at LSU."
The Raiders open Friday at nationally-ranked LSU and open at home against UW-Green Bay, last year's women's MCC Champion, on Nov. 28. The 2001 MCC Championships are slated for Feb. 21-24 in Milwaukee, WI.
